-->Living in a Topsy Turvy World
I've just returned from nine days in the magical old town of
Lijiang, China.
It was a respite made in heaven. After a couple of months in
Chongqing, a major industrial city of 33 million, the sight and
smell of clean, clear air was, well,"like a breath of fresh
air"!
Lijiang is a traveller's mecca. A wonderful old town riddled with
crystal clear waterways - a sort of Asian Venice. It's full of
art and craft shops selling wares to the constant flow of
visitors.
Although there were quite a few foreigners there (mostly of
European origin, especially French) the vast majority were
Chinese.
I can imagine, in the future, that this place will become a
a major tourist destination for Westerners, so I am glad I've
seen it before it becomes inundated with"foreigners".
The other thing I enjoyed was the opportunity to take a break
from Chinese food. Unlike most of us Westerners, who like to try
different ethnic foods, the Chinese are happy to constantly eat
their own. So it was both a relief and a culinary joy to partake
of some chilli con carne, lasagne, Thai green curry - and in
particular, to eat at a great little cafe called"Don Papa" - run
by an expat French chef, who has lived in Lijiang for 10 years.
I was interested to learn of his experience and his reasons for
abandoning France for this little corner of China. He said that
for him, Lijiang was a paradise and that he wished he'd moved
there 10 years earlier. He loved the clean air, fresh produce
and laid back atmosphere. I could tell he was a man at peace with
himself.
Yes, Lijiang was certainly laid back. In fact, even in an empty
cafe I had to wait up to 25 minutes for a simple meal. But all is
forgiven, for the opportunity to unwind. Besides, being able to
sample the great local beers, drawn from a basket submerged in
an icy mountain stream, was a treat worth waiting for.
In many ways, Lijiang has a"Bohemian" feel, sort of arty and
alternative. The streets are brimming with artists and craftsmen
of every description - all working right there in their various
shops. The cafes are places of rest and recuperation, with free
internet access, libraries of foreign books and magazines, and
classical, jazz and modern music drifting out of the windows.
The local, native people are Naxi (pronounced Nashi), who wear
bright coloured clothes, and obviously live to ripe old ages -
judging by the many crusty, weathered faces I saw. They have
ready smiles, a friendly demeanour - and an apparent endless
energy for dancing!
While there, I also had the opportunity to"jam" with a talented
young Chinese band in a local bar - which, as a long-retired
drummer, was yet another highlight of my brief visit. It reminded
me of my travels as a musician when I was much younger - and how
music broke down assumed cultural barriers.
All this got me thinking about China, and our perception of it
in the West. I've had plenty of opportunity to witness real
Chinese life, and to get a feel for what type of society it is.
Here I am, living in"Communist" China, so why do I feel so free?
Is it because in Lijiang I never saw a policeman? Is it because
everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, and doing exactly what
pleases them? Is it because of the obvious entrepreneurial spirit
that seems infuse Chinese culture? Is it because China is vastly
more capitalist, in many respects, than most other western
countries?
All I know, is that labels like"communism","totalitarianism"
and the like seem to be completely misplaced when applied to the
actual experience of living in China.
China is NOT like the old Soviet Union - with its state-owned
stores, where shoes or toilet paper were forever in short supply.
China is NOT like North Korea, where people are literally living
in a time warp - and brainwashed to believe they live in a
paradise. In fact, China is more like Hong Kong, or Singapore in
the making.
I've met scores of Chinese. I've witnessed their lives. These are
not people truly suffering under any totalitarian yoke. If they
are"slaves", then their serfdom is in many ways better than what
we put up with in the West.
Sure there are vast differences between rich and poor. Yes, there
is a lot of pollution in the big cities. And yes, I cannot access
the BBC.com world news web site!
I can't publish criticism of the Communist Party in the local
papers - but I can easily do it on the internet, and in person,
talking with other Chinese. I can keep most of the money I earn.
I can aspire to riches and achieve it. I can build a life of my
own design. In fact, if I'm honest, I'd have to say that middle
class Chinese have all the opportunities we assume are reserved
for people in"free" countries.
There are some"downsides" of course.
I would have to take care of my own health - as there is no
social welfare to speak of in China. Even a visitor can quickly
realise this by noticing the plethora of advertising on TV for
various hospitals! I'd have to get used to paying tolls on all
the highways, as the Chinese are big on"user-pays". And of
course, I would have to look after my own old age.
The truth is, in China there is virtually no welfarism -
something most Westerners are now addicted to. So, yes, there is
the hardship that comes with self-responsibility.
This got me thinking about the nature of practical freedom - of
what is really important in leading life according to one's own
wishes.
Is it more important to be able to write a letter criticising
the government and have it published? Or is it more important to
be able to live your life with the minimum of intrusion? Is it
more important to live in a country with effectively just two
political parties, and a system called democracy - or a country
with just one party, and a system called communism?
Looked at from the perspective of an anarchist, both the
"democratic" west and"communist" China share the same
fundamental mechanism of the all-powerful state. So the real
issue is, where can I live my life according to my own design and
wishes - with the minimum of bureaucratic interference?
None of the Chinese people I have met seem overly-burdened by
"Big Brother". They do not have their income siphoned off by the
state, to the point of impoverishment. They are not watched from
every street corner, as in London. They are not bullied on the
roads by revenue-collecting traffic cops. They are not stopped
from making a buck. They are not hounded by the politically
correct do-gooder brigade.
Of course, the Communist Party does crack down on political
dissent. So dissent moves"underground" - or should I say above
ground, on the internet. Yes, the government is what we'd call
"authoritarian" - and seeks to manage a free enterprise system.
If I was a Falun Gong practitioner, I wouldn't be happy in China.
On the other hand, if I was a Christian, there would be no
infringement on my religious beliefs or practice.
However, for a business-minded person, or someone (like the
artisans of Lijiang) who just wants to mind his own business,
China does offer quite remarkable opportunities. And life in
modern China is certainly light years away from what life was
like under Mao.
But there's more to it than that.
Why do I fear entering the USA more than China? Why do I feel
safer walking down the streets of this city of 33 million than
most other large western cities? Why do I feel the energy of
entrepreneurship and opportunity in China, compared with the
lethargy and dead-weight of dealing with bureaucratic and tax
hurdles in most western countries? Why do I feel less watched,
less listened to? Why does China feel on the move, while many
western countries feel stagnant?
These are important questions, because they point to a disturbing
fact regarding our western countries - the direction they are
headed.
We are used to calling ourselves the"free world" - a badge of
honour earned in a bygone age. But we are fooling ourselves if
we think we are still free.
What is both fascinating and disturbing to me, is the DIRECTION
different countries are taking.
China is a previously impoverished Communist country which is
moving decisively in the direction of more practical freedom. In
matters economic, it is proving to be a powerhouse of capitalism
- where the inherent business talents of the Chinese are being
liberated to create a massive growth in productivity and wealth.
This surge in prosperity and accompanying education will change
the face of China in the future. And as Chinese people have said
to me repeatedly, they expect their transition to more political
freedom to be just a matter of time.
On the other hand, we in the West are experiencing movement in
a completely opposite direction. More socialism, more fascism,
more stagnation and continual infringements of the freedoms we
say we hold so dear.
Should things get so bad that I need to escape to a bolt hole of
"freedom", I would consider life in a place like Lijiang to be
immensely preferable to some big western city on the verge of
descent into disorder and violence - with the accompanying
fascist crackdown by the state. In such a stark scenario, I know
where my freedom would be best served.
And as my favourite French chef in Lijiang said,"There are no
terrorists here!"
The world is not what it appears to be from a casual glance, or
a moment's thought. Don't rely on what you read in the papers, or
what your political leaders have to say. Their agenda is not
yours. You have to go out in the world and look for yourself.
And, like me, you may be surprised to find practical freedom in
the most unlikely places.
Yours in Freedom
David MacGregor
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